Jeff Petry just signed a 1 year deal with the Oilers at 3.075M dollars which will take the Defenseman to UFA status next season.
Jeff Petry was arguably the Oilers’ best overall Defenseman last season and as such was unlikely to take anything less than the 3M dollar range, but at the same token he occupies a spot on the team that the Oilers desperately want to upgrade upon, so a long term deal was equally unlikely.
Petry (80GP, 7-10-17) doesn’t bring an overly abundant amount of offense to the table, and that’s what is holding him back from making more money here. His career high in points (25) is nothing to write home about and is now 2 seasons into the rearview mirror. Other than his offense, Petry is a perfectly capable defender. His possession numbers (46.8% CorsiFor and +3.7% CorsiRel) are 2nd only to his partner Martin Marincin who came in part of the way through the year.
If we ignore Oscar Klefbom’s totally insane handling and look at only the regulars, no Defenseman on the Oilers started outside of the offensive zone more than Petry. Additionally he was matched against the absolute best that the opposition had to offer every single night. His top three opponents were Getzlaf, Perry and Yandle. They were the offensive who’s who of the West.
For those reasons I assumed the negotiation of his contract would likely be difficult. Petry, who finished his Degree this summer, will turn 27 in December which means he hits the UFA market in one year. Naturally if the Oilers wanted to sign Petry to a longer term then they would be “buying… years of Free Agency from Petry and that ultimately means more money. That is something I don’t think the Oilers were prepared to do.
Despite the quality numbers and the role that he occupies, the Oilers want an upgrade on Petry. The numbers suggest they already found a player in Fayne who can replicate his skills and they hope that Jultz will blossom into the kind of player who can provide offense AND play against the best in the league. As of today they don’t have that player though.
The team’s depth at Defense hasn’t been this good in years, certainly not at any time in the Tambellini/Rebuild era. It’s something the Oilers probably shouldn’t tamper with given how young the team still really is, but with only a 1 year term on his contract the Oilers might opt to fill a hole down the middle by moving Petry rather than keep him. If the Oilers aren’t in the hunt for a Playoff spot then he will surely be gone at the trade deadline
As of today the Oilers have roughly 8.75M in Cap Space left to sign Justin Schultz with and to potentially spend on a 2C. They have more than enough room to take on a large contract if need be, which now that even the cheaply available UFAs have been signed they may have to consider.
The Oilers signed their best overall Dman to a reasonable and moveable contract. It’s a good day, but one that appears to lead down the path that sees Petry eventually leave the club.
Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy